The Westin Baltimore Washington Airport - BWI — Hotel in Arbutus

I really wanted to enjoy my stay here, but I did not.

My husband and I travel frequently and with our service dog. We love the Westin brand because they are pet-friendly and often have really nice amenities (dog bed, bowl, etc) for our dog.

I am well versed in ADA laws and up until now, I have never had a problem with any hotel or establishment.

Long story short, at check-in the person at the front desk was new. I was COMPLETELY understanding and although I could tell she was overwhelmed, I explained to her that she did not need to feel rushed by me in any way. My husband remained in the car with our children and dog.

The check in process was not smooth, again, I was not impacted by this in any way. I know what it's like to be in training. I felt really bad for her because apparently all of the other hotel staff were in a meeting (at 3pm on a Saturday).

She was in over her head and had to call someone to finish the check-in process. (Both of these individuals were pleasant and I have no issues with them, I cannot recall their names but one guy had a name tag that said he loved his dogs or something of that nature). So, at the time, I completely forgot to mention the dog because I just wanted to get the process over with.

After we settled into our room, I went back down to the front desk to alert them of the fact that we were traveling with our dog (since it slipped my mind at checkin) and to see if they had any dog beds (as again, I've gotten in the past from Westin brand hotels). The newly hired front desk agent was not knowledgeable of the hotel's pet policies or ADA laws for that matter. She called on help from another man, who appeared to be at the bell hop station. She signaled for his attention for a long time but he was not paying attention and was distracted by his phone. She asked him what the policy and procedure was for handling pets. I told them that he was a service animal and the man unlawfully asked me if I had documentation to prove this. I explained to him that yes, I do, but I have never had to go through this before and that his tone and question were both inappropriate to say the least. (He seemed annoyed to be taken away from his phone to answer her question).

He then advised me that I would need to speak with the supervisor but that s/he was busy and "I" would need to come back to the front desk when they were available. I explained to them that I was not my job to periodically check in with the front desk...

I recently got married at the Westin. My husband and I stayed at the Westin for 2 nights. Unfortunately, while the experience was hectic for us it was not good for us and our family staying at the hotel. My mother was treated poorly by the staff. She purchased a room for 2 nights, day before and day of my wedding, just to keep the florals in the room and to have an extra room for people who wouldn’t be able to drive home after the wedding. When she called to see if it was possible for an early check - in the woman rudely dismissed her saying it was impossible. My mother told her that she needed a room just to keep the florals. That it did not have to be fully cleaned and the receptionist was rude, telling her “fine you can come in at 12.” When she got to the hotel, the manager told her that the earliest check in was possible at 2pm. While she was there around 12, my uncle had flown in from out of state. The receptionist attending to him was kind and allowed him to check - in early right away. The next day, she called down around 7am and asked the for the floral room to be cleaned so we could use it for hair and makeup. She called 3 more times later because we were supposed to start hair and makeup at 10:30. No one came until about 11:20. At that point we had to turn housekeeping away because the bridal party was getting ready. We were not going to move 7 people to another room when we had already started to prepare for the wedding. The housekeeper rolled her eyes at my sister when my sister told her that we didn’t need her. About 10 minutes later, a housekeeping supervisor or someone - not sure who she was came up and knocked on our door asking for housekeeping. At this point, I spoke with her saying that we needed the room serviced 3 hours ago and that I’m not moving everyone out. My mother also went downstairs to the restaurant area to ask for some knives. A bridesmaid had brought bagels to eat for breakfast. The server told my mother that she needed to go to the receptionist and ask her. So my mother walked over to the reception to ask for knives. The receptionist was rude and brushed her off telling her she needed to go to the restaurant. My mother was frustrated at this point and told her that the server told her to go to reception. The receptionist was nasty and made my mother feel like she was inconveniencing her.

I travel for work, so I stay in hotels at least half the year. This was an...

Update: 2nd visit 4/22/2023: 3 stars I am disappointed to say that my initial rating of this hotel has not improved. I stayed at the Westin in Boston a week ago and it was day & night. The front desk was kind but when I got to my room, I noticed that the phone was not working. There was no robe in my closet, there was no bottled water in the room. I had to call the front desk with my phone and they said oh yes, the phones are not working. I said I just checked in why didn’t you tell me this and her response oh I forgot. I asked about the water and robe and I was told well you can come downstairs to purchase a bottle of water and robes are on request only. A manager came on the phone and I said what is going on, I said how am I supposed to order room service? He said he would take my order, I was not ready to place my order but I called back and unfortunately no one answered. I had to go downstairs and wait on line for 10 minutes to place a room service order. The manager was kind to say that my meal would be complimentary but they never sent up the bottled water or a robe. When my food came the soup was not hot. The meal was edible but not great and I’m sure I will not order room service again. Quite honestly I will not be staying at this hotel again. This is a pattern and it is disappointing since the Westin is my favorite hotel to stay at. One last note: I found the bathroom to be surprisingly antiquated. Not sure why there was not a stand up shower but rather a tub with a rain shower attachment. I stayed at the Westin because I love the bed, it is quite honestly the best. I was disappointed in my room at the Westin at the Airport, I felt it lacked the luxury that they like to pride themselves on. The amenities in the room were downgraded, they were not included in the bathroom. The room was clean but had a slight smell that I cannot really identify but it was noticeable and not calming. It would have been a nice choice to have the remote control wrapped and marked cleaned and disinfected considering Covid is still prominent. The staff however was incredible and very accommodating unfortunately they could not change my room since they were fully booked. I thought the breakfast was ok but limiting and not overly delicious. I found the decor of the entrance charming and inviting.

Overall I give them a 3 1/2 stars. Perhaps another visit to see if changes...